The Federal Government is facing the prospect of another nationwide health sector shutdown as the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) begin mobilising workers across the country over an unresolved salary adjustment agreement dating back 13 years.
The unions said they would no longer accept further delays in implementing the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), warning that attempts to frustrate the process could trigger industrial action.
The decision followed an emergency expanded National Executive Council (NEC) virtual meeting held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, with participation from the union’s affiliates and organs at federal and state levels.
In a resolution jointly signed by its National Chairman, Comrade Kabiru Minjibir, and National Secretary, Comrade Martin Egbanubi, JOHESU declared that the time had come for the government to fulfil its commitment to the salary adjustment.
The union maintained that it would resist any attempt by individuals or institutions to obstruct the implementation of the agreement, describing the present moment as decisive for the welfare and future of its members.
JOHESU recalled that President Bola Tinubu had, on June 5, 2023, promised to implement the adjustment while appealing to the union to suspend its industrial action shortly after assuming office.
It said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had also forwarded the 2021 High Level Body Technical Committee Report on the adjustment to the Budget Office of the Federation on the same date for consideration by the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS).
However, the union accused the government of allowing the process to remain stalled because the committee had been unable to convene, insisting that its failure to meet should no longer be used to justify the delay.
The unions also acknowledged the interventions of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) in pressing for the adjustment, describing the demand as the oldest outstanding issue in the history of organised labour.
Citing the Trade Unions Act, Cap T14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, JOHESU argued that organised labour had the legal authority to negotiate employment benefits and collective bargaining agreements on behalf of its members.
Consequently, the union directed its members to remain on alert and commenced mobilisation across health institutions nationwide in preparation for possible industrial action.
It, however, urged workers to maintain peace and await further directives from the NLC and TUC, particularly in view of the ultimatum and timeline already issued to the Federal Government.
JOHESU comprises the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), including its technical arm, the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA).
